Power Match: Abarth Punto Evo Vs Ford Figo Vs Volkswagen Polo GT

Snapshot: The Polo GT was the early power hatch that saw a mild response when introduced, and with time has become more popular. We compare other sub Rs. 10 Lakh hatches that are available and find out the best one.

Power-packed hatches are indeed fun to drive and are equally easier to manoeuvre in and around the city traffic. It’s no surprise that such cars are increasingly finding favour among buyers in the growing Indian market, and as a result, more manufacturers have started offering the same. Under Rs. 10 Lac price bracket, the Volkswagen Polo GT was perhaps the only car until now to offer power in excess of 100PS. With the arrival of Abarth Punto Evo and Ford Figo, it has changed. Let’s find out the best hatch in the power match comparison.

Both the Ford’s Figo as well as the Volkswagen Polo GT are available with petrol and diesel engine choices. The Abarth Punto Evo, however, is available only with a petrol engine. The power developed by the 1.4-litre unit of the Abarth Punto is a whopping 147PS, and the difference is not marginal, but considerably great. The 1.5-litre Figo diesel develops 100 PS, while the same capacity petrol motor manages to produce marginally better peak power of 112 PS but it comes at a higher rev range of 6300 rpm.

The Polo GT offers a 1.2-litre TSI petrol and 1.5-liter TDI diesel, and both engines develop same power output of 105PS. ​The diesel engines of both Figo as well as the Polo produce an immense amount of torque at a very low rev range (215 Nm at 1750-3000 rpm and 250 Nm at 1500-2500 rpm, respectively ) and this should makes them fun cars to drive, and negate the need for frequent gear changes. The Abarth Punto develops 212 Nm of torque between 2000-4000 rpm, coupled with a power output of 147 PS, which makes it the best car on paper. The 7-speed DSG gearbox on the Polo GT TSI and the 6-speed double clutch gearbox on the Figo 1.5 petrol trump the manual unit that’s available on Abarth Punto Evo.

While the Ford Figo is altogether a new car, the Polo GT is essentially the Polo with a GT badge and Abarth Punto Evo derived from Punto Evo wears the Abarth’s Scorpio insignia on the nose, wheels, doors etc.

The most distinguishing feature of the Figo is its Aston Martin-inspired gaping grille that’s indeed hard to mistake for anything else. The overall styling of the Ford Figo would pass off as elegant and understated.

The Polo GT is the most understated car of the lot and the Abarth Punto Evo, with its reindeer headlamps, Abarth decals and badging all around stands at the other end. There are Scorpio Sting design, 16-inch alloys on the Abarth Punto that look quite sizeable, unlike the Figo’s 14 inchers which are indeed puny. The Polo’s 15 inch wheels are decent, however. The set of rubber is also wide enough on the Polo (185 mm), next to the Abarth Punto which offers 195 mm, and the Figo is yet again disappointing with 175 mm wide rubber.

There’s hardly anything to fault in the design of any of these cars’ design and all look attractive. What’s worth noticing is that the Abarth Punto has the longest wheelbase of 2510 mm, which should make it the most spacious. The ground clearance is the most impressive for the Ford Figo at 174mm.

All cars use a prominent black scheme for thee interiors which appears to be in line with their individual sporty image. While all of the cars are feature rich, there are indeed unique features worth mentioning in all these cars.

In case of the Abarth Punto Evo and Polo GT, you get aluminium race pedals, which the Figo does not offer.

The seats of Abarth Punto stand out for their sheer quality of materials and stitch. Polo GT offers a black and beige combination of seats made out of fabric which it calls 'Milan' Titanschwarz, while the Figo’s are black and greyish-blue. The quality of both however, may not feel as great as the Punto’s.

The multi-function steering wheels on all these cars are well-contoured and look sporty; the Polo’s is flat bottom and comes wrapped in leather. There are scuff plates carrying the individual insignia – "GT" in case of the Polo and "Abarth" in case of the Punto, which adds a touch of class. It’s missing in the Ford Figo.

Notable features worthy of a mention in case of the Polo include – glove box cooling, cruise control and voice command system. Ford’s My Key is a unique offering in case of the Figo and there’s Ford’s own voice-activated system – SYNC, which you can use to make phone calls, play music, etc. using the controls present on the steering wheel, much like in the case of Polo GT and Abarth Punto.

Abarth Punto offers first-in-class disc brakes on all four wheels, which come coupled with ABS and EBD. There’s a fire prevention system, automatic door lock, central door locking, door open indicator and height adjustable seat belts that take care of other safety aspects. The top-spec Ford Figo offers class-leading six airbags with ABS and EBD. In case of the 1.5 petrol variant of Figo, you also get features like ESP, hill hold and traction control which make the car outstanding in the safety department.

The Polo is well equipped too, and offers two airbags along with ABS, ESP and hill hold assist. Three-point ELR seat belts for outer four passengers and lap belt for the middle rear passenger are present as standard in all these cars.

ARAI claimed mileage figure of the Figo diesel is most impressive of the lot and you get 25.83 kmpl, while the petrol version claims to deliver 17kmpl. The TDI and TSI promise a mileage of 19.91 kmpl and 17.21kmpl, respectively. Abarth Punto Evo promises to offer 16.3 kmpl which is respectable, considering that it’s a petrol version and offers class-leading power output.

Verdict

No matter which car you pick out of the three, they would do what is expected of them, i.e. provide a thrill, every time you take them out for a drive. The trio is indeed the best among any hatchback that’s available under Rs. 10 lac. Look at them rather not as hatchbacks but entry-level sports cars that are available in a budget. The sprint figures are not exactly in a typical sports' car league, but then, you also don't burn the same amount of fuel. So you, sort of, get a great mix for the money that you shell out.

Pick the one that’s suits you. We pick the Abarth Punto for its outstanding style, which comes coupled with the best performance figures.